A workplace literacy curriculum for entry-level hospital workers who sterilize medical equipment for doctors and nurses was developed, tested, and published in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. An assessment was conducted to identify the needs of the hospital's management and the literacy skills needed by its central services prep department, and…

Basic skills education has become a pressing need in the construction industry as jobs become more complex and fewer workers have needed skills. However, the construction industry lags in spending on training for entry-level workers. The Home Builders Institute (HBI) is testing a pilot basic skills program that it hopes will prove useful to the…

Project Learning T.I.P. (To Improve Productivity) was conducted at three hospitals by the Dade County Public Schools to increase the literacy skills of the approximately 4,000 lower-level hospital employees who were deemed by their supervisors to be limited English proficient or to lack basic skills. Because of recruiting efforts limited by lack…

Project CARE, a workplace literacy partnership between Louisiana State University Medical Center and Louisiana State University-Shreveport, surpassed its goal to influence 485 employees and to enroll at least half that number. The project also provided training seminars for front-line supervisors and revised documents. All data and information…

A pilot project demonstrated that cooperative training programs are effective and cost efficient for small businesses. Common entry-level reading and thinking tasks were identified in a variety of occupational areas. Five growing occupational areas were identified: industrial/machine operator; health care; food preparation; hotel/hospitality; and…